


I'll Save a Dance for You

by Kabieee, Natendo



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Anal Sex, Clothed Sex, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Pining, Porn with Feelings, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 03:40:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22089421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kabieee/pseuds/Kabieee, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natendo/pseuds/Natendo
Summary: Sylvain,I hope you’re staying warm up there. I can only imagine how cold it is; I do hope your mare keeps a steady foot in the mountains. I know you know this, because you grew up first-hand in that ungodly sea of ice, but please be careful. There’s more snow here in Fraldarius; the children in town have been building snowmen out on the lawn of the manor. You won’t be surprised to hear my father is absolutely delighted by them.I wrote you another letter earlier in the week, but I’ve just received his highness’s invitation for his Coronation. I’d only be hurting myself and you if I failed to mention how happy I am to see you in Fhirdiad, even if it is for a silly ball for the boar king of our great nation. Depending on when you plan on leaving, it is possible for us to make the trip there together. I look forward to it if you are able.Your friend and ally,Duke Felix Fraldarius
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 156





	I'll Save a Dance for You

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for Alex (@kreimhilld on twitter) for winning my 300 follower giveaway! She wanted a fic with the dancer's outfits <3 Natalie helped tremendously here; the premise for this fic is her's; I just wrote it and fleshed it out more! Thank you so much for your love and support Nat, i love you!!  
> I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I do :) It was a pleasure to write, and I'm so happy I got to write it for someone as sweet as Alex!

Sylvain hurried down the hallway of his wing, hoping to reach his chamber before his father could catch up to him. He scolded himself for his fleeting joy that the previous Margrave was now older and couldn’t move quite as fast, but digressed when he was able to slip away without being confronted with another marriage proposal. They’d been increasing as the years wore on, multitudes of noble and common families alike writing in hopes to get the Gautier son to meet with their daughters. Alongside the fact that he now had a territory to run, which came with more responsibility than his education had prepared him for, his heart still belonged to another.

He locked his chamber door and sighed a breath of relief, kicking off his boots near his bureau. He hung up his thick winter coat inside and undid the tie on his pants to relax, crawling up onto his canopied bed. There was a stack of letters waiting on his nightstand, so he begrudgingly picked up a few and scanned the senders to see if anything had come from _him_. His letters were the only exciting part of checking correspondence anymore. They hadn’t gotten to see each other in a while, and the three months since he’d last sat with his lifelong friend had been long and bitterly cold.

Sylvain saw his name on the third envelope in the stack and felt his heartrate jump up in his chest, a smile lighting up his face. He eased it open with his fingers and pulled out the parchment to read, laying back on the pillows happily.

_Sylvain,_

_I hope you’re staying warm up there. I can only imagine how cold it is; I do hope your mare keeps a steady foot in the mountains. I know you know this, because you grew up first-hand in that ungodly sea of ice, but please be careful. There’s more snow here in Fraldarius; the children in town have been building snowmen out on the lawn of the manor. You won’t be surprised to hear my father is absolutely delighted by them._

_I wrote you another letter earlier in the week, but I’ve just received his highness’s invitation for his Coronation. I’d only be hurting myself and you if I failed to mention how happy I am to see you in Fhirdiad, even if it is for a silly ball for the ~~boar~~ king of our great nation. Depending on when you plan on leaving, it is possible for us to make the trip there together. I look forward to it if you are able._

_Your friend and ally,_

_Duke Felix Fraldarius_

Sylvain read the letter twice before folding it back up and slipping it back into the envelope, searching through the stack for Felix’s other letter, coming across the one from Dimitri as well. He opened up the one with the royal seal first. He smiled warmly when he noticed the Prince’s personal handwriting.

_Margrave Sylvain Jose Gautier,_

_It is with greatest pride and utmost pleasure I announce my Coronation on the day of our Goddess the twenty-first day of the Red Wolf Moon. Please ensure your House’s attendance for this momentous and historical occasion. I long to see you again after many months of only communicating via letters. Your aid during the restoration of our homeland is something that will never be forgotten by the Crown, or myself._

Sylvain continued on to bashfully read more of his praises by the king-to-be, chuckling when he was unable to see anything but his childhood friend writing the words. The Coronation was to be held in a week’s time at his castle, where he mentioned he’d also called upon their group of friends from the Officer’s Academy. Sylvain was excited to see everyone, of course, but when his mind returned to Felix, he felt oh too familiar butterflies in his stomach.

Before he read the second letter from him, Sylvain moved to the desk that sat in front of the largest window in the Margrave’s chamber. He gazed out happily at the field outside, the field where they’d played as children. It was covered in snow and ice, much like it had nearly always been back then. Their favorite tree to climb still stood off to the right, towering over a small frozen lake. Felix had fallen from that tree and broken his arm when he was six, and Sylvain had had to carry him back to Rodrigue while he cried.

Sylvain reminisced happily as he pulled out a quill and began writing a letter back to his best friend.

_Felix,_

_The effects from the weather this moon are no different than in years past, but I still chill down to the bone every night. My bed knows nothing of warmth when I’m this alone. The shipments coming in from Fraldarius have done wonders for feeding, clothing, and housing our people. We will always be thankful and in your debt for our alliance. We celebrate you and your people, having maintained this friendship throughout the aftermath of the war our greatest blessing._

_There. You got some official praises from the Margrave, now it’s time to talk personal matters._

_I remarked the loneliness to my father and he suggested I take a bride, but if I’m being honest that is the last thing I’d do. The marriage proposals have been coming in nonstop, and with another year without heirs, my mother and father are growing restless._

He paused and sighed heavily, thinking back to the last time he and Felix had parted from one another. He’d held the Duke in a lingering embrace, lamenting the fact that they’d both be so busy in the coming months with winter at their doorsteps. They had clasped hands and looked at each other with small tears in their eyes, promising they’d get together as soon as possible for pleasure rather than official business. Technically the Coronation for Dimitri was business, but with the promise of a party, Sylvain felt confident they’d be able to enjoy each other’s company at least for a little while.

Sylvain looked back down at his letter and wondered if he was being too transparent. He’d yearned for Felix’s love since their academy days, but the war had quickly squashed any plans he had on acting upon his feelings. He never even knew if Felix would accept them, let alone reciprocate. He’d always been a loner who made it clear his mind was focused on everything except romance.

Despite that, though, and part of his attraction to his best friend in the first place, was that Felix always had a soft spot for him. Sylvain knew this, knew this because it was he who Felix went to after a particularly difficult battle. It was Sylvain who helped wrap up his cuts and wounds, Sylvain who sadly kept the deeper ones secret from the others. After Gronder Field, it was he who had held Felix to his chest and soothed him as he shook with grief. All of their years together had seen them though every single challenge their war-torn lives could throw at them, and it made Sylvain care about his friend on many levels that went beyond platonic companionship.

He dreamed of holding him again, of having Felix fitting perfectly against his chest as his arms protected him from anything that threatened to harm him. He’d go to war again and again if he had to, would do anything to make sure he stayed safe.

_I will of course make the trip to the Coronation with you. It has been far too long since we’ve been together (and I know that’s true because we’ve definitely been apart longer than three months before). I will make the ride down to Fraldarius on Wednesday evening. Wait up for me, my dear friend._

_Your_ greatest _friend and ally,_

_Margrave Sylvain Gautier_

He slid the letter into an envelope, sealing it with his crest seal in red wax. He carefully wrote Felix’s name and title on the front, sheepishly kissing it before standing up to bring it to the courier. He slid back on his boots and gripped the letter lovingly as he made his way back through the quiet manor.

**

Felix paid little attention as his father picked out their robes for the Coronation. He couldn’t care less what he wore; he would be happy, truthfully, in a burlap bag as long as he got to see Sylvain as much as possible. He hoped he’d received his letters about making the trip to the capitol together. Knowing that as soon as he had information he _desperately_ wanted Sylvain to see, the courier would die in a snowstorm or something heinous. He itched to go to his quarters to see if he’d replied yet…

He stood and excused himself from the meeting room, hurrying across their manor to his chamber. When he saw that his desk had a singular envelope on it, his heart soared. His name was written in Sylvain’s beautiful handwriting, flourished with swirls underneath in his trademark red ink. When he opened it and read his reply, he anxiously squirmed in his seat. This latest stint of time they’d gone without being able to see one another had been abysmal. Fraldarius had had an extremely successful crop that year, so the demand had put an enormous amount of pressure on their farmers. Felix had to personally attend to caravans of product moving out of the territory to make sure no harm came to the traders, taking him away from home more and more.

The prospect of going to the capitol wasn’t something he would say he was eager for. Sure, it’d be nice to see his old classmates, but being amongst the court for that long only made his skin crawl. It’d be a bunch of questions about when he was finally going to marry, why he wasn’t at court more often—questions Felix had grown tired of hearing long ago.

He’d never admit it out loud, but he found himself wanting to thank the boar for giving him an excuse to be with Sylvain again.

With Wednesday only two days away, Felix knew it was a bit premature to begin packing for the trip. He couldn’t help himself, though, and hastened around his chamber gathering things. When there was a knock at his door, he recognized his father’s telltale pattern.

“Come in.”

“Got some correspondence for you, son…” Oh, fantastic. Felix recognized that tone of voice, so scoffed and rolled his eyes when he set a stack of envelopes down on his bed.

“They’re from all over the kingdom, Felix. I know you don’t wish to read them, but…”

“You’d be correct, father,” Felix said stiffly, mindlessly touching the family ring on his right ring finger. “I have no interest in whatever ridiculous offering those people are proposing for their daughter’s hand.”

“I know, son, I know.” Rodrigue sat down on his son’s bed and lightly touched the letters. “You know I’m not going to force you to do something that would make you so unhappy. I just worry that happiness is out there waiting for you, and your stubbornness is keeping you from it.”

Felix eyed him in annoyance. “What do you mean by that—”

His father looked knowingly at him and he sighed in frustration.

“ _That’s_ none of your business,” he huffed, closing the lid of his trunk and locking it. “Imagine what his father would say if I—”

“Is his father the Margrave? Am I still the Duke of Fraldarius?” Felix stared at Rodrigue in quiet stillness, barely daring to breathe. “I feel as though you’re forgetting who our _king_ is going to marry, my son.”

Felix’s face flushed; it was true that Dimitri hadn’t kept quiet about his engagement to Dedue. The physical restoration of their homeland had also come change in social aspects. Relaxation and freedom of marriage regulations had been one of the first things the prince had fought for. This was important to him in the world they were trying to build where less emphasis was put on Crests. It was all thanks to the guidance from Byleth as the new Archbishop of the Church.

“Sylvain’s father still lives in the old Fodlan, father,” Felix said solemnly, “as do a lot of those who live in this kingdom.”

Rodrigue stood up and went to place his hands on his son’s shoulders. “That’s the stubbornness I was referring to,” he smiled softly. “Listen to me, Felix. From someone who’s lost many that they loved,” Felix stiffened under his hands at the comment, “do not let those who are still here slip away. Have them near and close while you can.”

**

“Promise me you’ll at least look over some of the proposals while we’re in the capitol, son. A lot of the potential maidens will be there while we are… the perfect opportunity to meet some of them.”

Sylvain sighed and mounted his mare. He was going ahead of the caravan his parents and other nobles from Gautier would be traveling to Fhirdiad in in order to see Felix, the sun low in the sky in the late afternoon. He’d put the latest stack of envelopes in a random sack he’d found in the stables, hoping that would have been enough to get his father off of his back. The plan was to dump them somewhere in the country off a random road where they’d be ruined by snow. He made a noncommittal movement with his shoulders and waved at him and his mother, cantering off towards the south.

The further he got away from his home, the lighter his head and heart began to feel. Sylvain had to hold his horse back from overexerting, not wanting her to slide on hidden ice or overwork herself hours before the halfway point. Barring an unforeseen troubles or surprises, he’d be galloping up to the Fraldarius manor around ten that evening.

Sylvain was then left alone with daydreams of Felix, thinking longingly of drinking tea or wine with him in front of a fire and catching up in a long discussion. Not having him in his arms or lap was going to be a difficult task, as that was something he’d been imagining for years.

When he reached Felix’s manor, he was breathless. He saw light from up in his chamber, a telltale candle lit in the window. He smiled happily and hopped off his horse, leading her to the stables and putting her up for the night. After making sure she had water and hay, he anxiously hustled to the front door.

Sylvain squirmed as he knocked, bouncing on the balls of his feet out in the cold. He was briefly disappointed when it wasn’t Felix who answered, but remembered the face of the person who did. He smiled at the maid and bowed lightly.

“Margrave Gautier, welcome and good evening.” She bowed him into the manor and closed the door behind him. It was warm and brightly lit in the foyer with the fireplaces lining the eastern and western walls, the same soft black rugs lining the stone floor. He thanked the maid as she took his heavy overcoat from him. “The Duke is in his quarters; he instructed to let you make your way there upon your arrival.”

“Wow, no welcome party? Damn, Felix,” he chuckled lowly to himself after nodding at her. He took the grand staircase two steps at a time, heart pumping anxiously in his chest. He still knew Felix’s childhood home like the back of his hand. He remembered the nights they spent sneaking along these halls to visit each other, playing behind priceless statues like they were nothing. Sylvain had surprisingly never broken one, but laughed when he remembered the night Felix broke a vase and Glenn immediately told on them.

He opened his chamber door and saw Felix sitting at his desk, a large stack of papers beside him. The Duke turned around quickly and looked up at Sylvain, face breaking into a large smile as he walked inside. He ripped himself away from the desk and rushed to him, pulling him in for a warm embrace.

“Sylvain… I’m so glad you made it in safe.” He pulled away but still held the Margrave at arm’s length.

“I was bummed that there wasn’t a roaring celebration for my arrival,” Sylvain winked, hands squeezing Felix’s forearms lovingly. Felix shook his head and rolled his eyes, his smile enough to light up the chamber.

“There might have been if I hadn’t been out assisting another caravan today…” Felix muttered, motioning his head over to his swords propped up against the foot of his bed. “The attacks on our farmers have gotten worse.”

Sylvain eyed him in concern. “If you ever need assistance, send for me at once. I can almost always lend my lance and that of my men, Felix,” he said softly.

“Hopefully it won’t come to that, but thank you. I’m going to fetch some wine. This paperwork can wait until we return from the capitol. I like the beard,” Felix chuckled, regarding his best friend’s face more closely and admiring the nicely manicured hair there.

“You’re one to talk, look at these locks, Fe!” Sylvain replied with a grin, lightly picking up the ends of Felix’s long hair and twirling it around his fingers. Felix swatted him away and rolled his eyes, removing a bottle of wine from a cabinet in his chamber and bringing it over to a small table.

The pair settled down on two comfortable chairs in front of the fireplace in Felix’s room to catch up. They drank their way through the aged bottle of wine, laughing heartily at the outrageous tales from the other’s travels. It seemed as though they’d both had their fair share of adventure for their lifetimes, now having to deal with less exciting matters of the state instead of fighting bandits. They both agreed that they preferred it though, knowing their lives weren’t in nearly as much danger as they had been when they were young.

Felix swirled his glass solemnly as Sylvain spoke of the marriage proposals he’d been receiving, heart aching when he saw how unhappy it made him.

“They come for me, as well,” he said quietly, finishing his glass and immediately going to pour another. He blushed when Sylvain smiled at him and did it for him. “Father doesn’t ever make me look at them, though…”

“Don’t take that for granted, Fe. Sometimes my parents will call me into a meeting room for the sole purpose of looking at miniature portraits that the families have sent us. If I’m being truthful, I haven’t even so much as _thought_ about a woman in at least five years….”

“What changed, Syl?” Felix kept his voice lowered as he looked over at his best friend, taking in his features in the flickering light of the fire. He didn’t expect Sylvain to jump at his question, didn’t expect the way he clutched his wine glass tighter and shot his gaze away from his face.

“Me, I guess…” Sylvain trailed off and looked into the flames, his honey colored eyes somber and distant. “Being Margrave made me busier and more stressed than I have ever been in my entire life. My father still wants control, so he tries to dictate every single thing that I do. He questions and scrutinizes every decision I make.

“I’ve started questioning every single decision I make for _myself_. If I try to relax or pursue something for the hell of it, I’m hesitant. I’m now the head of my territory, family, and household, yet I feel like I’m being watched every step I take. There’s so much that’s changed about me, Felix, I’m afraid I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

Felix’s chest tightened at his best friend’s confession, head swimming as he took it all in. After barely a minute passed, he stood up and crossed the small space to Sylvain, setting down his glass and taking his hand in his own.

“You’re Sylvain Jose Gautier. First and foremost,” Felix said quietly, bringing the hand up to his cheek and leaning against it. It was an accepted form of affection between them, one Felix had always used when he forced himself to not get too close to the man he loved. “Yes, you’re a leader, and a warrior, but no matter what, none of that can take away from who you are. We fought too hard in that war for outside forces to carve away at our core, Syl.”

“Maybe it was for the best. Maybe I needed those influences to change what a fucked-up person I was,” Sylvain laughed hollowly, moving his fingertips against Felix’s jawline. Felix scowled at him and closed his eyes, moving his other hand down to rest on Sylvain’s shoulder. “As long as you’re still by my side, no matter who I become…”

“Of course I will be… you _idiot_.”

**

Fhirdiad was cold and snowy upon their arrival. The streets had been salted and cleared for the large number of visitors pouring into the city, the traffic near the castle just about impassable. Felix and Sylvain thankfully knew a secret shortcut into the royal property from their childhood. As they led their horses through the torchlit passage way, Sylvain chuckled aloud.

“Remember all the time we used to spend playing in here? Viable to be trampled by anybody passing through?”

“I do. I also remember this was where our first—" Felix forced his mouth shut, thankful the passage wasn’t lit well. His face flushed crimson.

“Our first _what_ was?” Sylvain asked sarcastically, turning back to look at Felix. He could see his lifelong friend anxiously moving his hands along the reins of his horse.

“I haven’t spoken of it since that day and I’m not starting now,” Felix stammered, but Sylvain saw his scowl softening.

“Mmhmm,” Sylvain hummed, squirming slightly on his horse’s saddle. “Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about that kiss, Fe.”

“Sylvain—”

“I can’t lie to you, Felix, you know that.”

Felix was thankful he wasn’t in control of his feet and legs, for they would have surely crumbled to the ground had he been standing in that moment. He was quiet, taking in what Sylvain had said. What did he mean when he said he thought about their kiss every day? Were they thoughts of regret? Embarrassment?

It had been a stupid, uncontrolled moment of weakness on Felix’s part; they were mere days from leaving for the Officer’s Academy. Their fathers had brought them to the capitol so they could travel to Garreg Mach with Ingrid, Dimitri, and Dedue. The secret passage way, the same one that had been their secret place all throughout their childhood, had once again become a quiet place of respite. Sylvain had been prattling on about some girl he’d been chasing, followed immediately by how he didn’t actually fancy her and was just bored. Felix had been fed up long before he’d gotten to the confession. In a bizarre moment where, upon reflection, he had sort of blacked out, Felix had stormed up to his best friend, told him to shut the fuck up, and had shoved him back onto the wall before kissing him.

It had been a long time coming, something Felix had wanted to do since he was fourteen years old. His heart had been slapped around by Sylvain for years up to that point, having to consistently see him leading girls around. Not that he’d ever made his feelings for his best friend known, and Felix was convinced that even his kiss didn’t fully reveal them. He’d stood up on his toes, one hand firmly pressed into Sylvain’s chest, the other clenched into a fist at his side. It’d been a terrible kiss; he’d knocked his teeth into the other’s and had mostly had his mouth closed. His face had rivaled Sylvain’s red hair and his heart had threatened to beat out of his chest. He mumbled that he was an idiot, threatened to cut him with his blade if he ever mentioned it again, and left the passageway in cold silence.

Not one of Felix’s prouder moments, he was willing to admit. He too had thought about it every single day since he’d done it, though, through the war, through the aftermath, hell, up to the moments before Sylvain had brought it up.

The passageway gave out to a lonely little side street on the eastern part of the castle. Two guards drew their weapons when they exited the archway, but smiled at them when they recognized the duo.

“Margrave Gautier, Duke Fraldarius. How nice of you to remember this passage,” one of them said, sheathing his blade.

“Thank the goddess it wasn’t closed up!” Sylvain said, hopping off his horse. The other guard whistled and a stable boy came clamoring up to them.

“Take the Margrave and Duke’s horses, lad. Make sure they’re taken care of.”

“Yessir!” The boy led the horses away, leaving Felix and Sylvain with the guards.

“If you need an escort, we’re more than happy to—”

“No, thank you, we can manage,” Felix said quickly, smiling at them curtly and then shooting a look at his best friend. He wanted to have the discussion with him without the presence of others. When they were further down the side street, he slowed his steps and looked at him. “What did you mean back there, Syl?”

It was Sylvain’s turn to flush, turning his body towards his friend, towards the love of his life. He didn’t think this was where they’d have this talk, not by a long shot. He absentmindedly reached up and picked a stray fuzz off Felix’s cloak, taking a deep breath as he flicked it off his fingers.

“It confused the hell out of me.”

Felix’s chest tightened and he cast his gaze downward out of embarrassment.

“N-no, it wasn’t a bad thing! Ok… I may have thought it was weird at first. But… it was because we were best friends. I had no idea you were—”

“Trust me, I was confused more than anyone on that part. I didn’t even know I had the ability to be attracted to someone at all…”

“Same!” Sylvain chuckled, smiling warmly down at Felix. “But… it made sense to me after I thought about it. Not why you chose… _me_ ,” his voice dropped with his eyes, a sad shadow crossing over them. “I tried throwing myself at women as I tried to figure things out. Because I was a bastard back then, fucking with people’s hearts because they didn’t matter to me. And I did that to you, as well.” Sylvain’s hand reached out for Felix’s, heart thudding in his chest when the other took it willingly.

“I’m sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable, Sylvain. That wasn’t my intention.”

“No, Fe, you don’t understand, I—” Sylvain squeezed his friend’s hand, running the other through his hair. “I was only uncertain and confused because… of what that kiss… _Did_ to me. And uncertain isn’t even the right _word_ —I—” He stared down into Felix’s eyes, which were rightfully confused and wide.

“Felix, Sylvain?” They whipped around to see Ingrid standing in a doorway nearby, not having heard her arrival. She was smiling widely at them, their proximity and hand holding something she didn’t comment on. Neither man broke away from it, but their arms both went up around their friend when she approached them. “It’s so good to see you both! The guards overheard the stable boy who was tending to your horses and told me you were here.”

“It’s good to see you too, Ingrid,” Felix replied kindly, shooting a look at Sylvain. He hoped to convey that their conversation was by no means over. He touched his arm when his best friend nodded at him.

“Let’s get you guys inside, his highness will want to know you got here safely!” She led them up through the castle, chatting happily away while her childhood friends followed quietly. Dimitri was in a meeting, so she instead took them to their sleeping quarters. “Outfits for the party have been provided…” she said with a nervous laugh at Felix, who eyed her suspiciously. “It wasn’t his highness’s idea.”

Felix looked at the outfit hanging in the bureau in his room, his mouth hanging open in shock. “Are you joking?” he yelled into the hallway, where Sylvain and Ingrid still stood talking. The redhead came in first and laughed out loud at the garment in Felix’s hands.

“If it wasn’t Dimitri’s idea, then whose _was_ it?” he asked Ingrid, picking up the dancer’s outfit and snickering. It looked just like the ones from their days at the academy, waist beading and sashes and all. She shrugged, smiling happily at the scowl on Felix’s face.

“You don’t have to wear it, I suppose…”

“Oh, trust me, I will _not_ ,” Felix scoffed, eyeing Sylvain out of the corner of his eye. There was an unmistakable gleam in his honey colored eyes, making Felix’s stomach jump in excitement.

“His highness will be wanting you to join him for lunch. I’ll come get you two before then, rest up,” Ingrid said with a smile, bowing slightly to them and leaving.

“You sure you don’t want to wear this tonight, Fe?” Sylvain winked, taking the hanger from him and holding it up against his best friend’s body.

“Don’t think I’d be caught dead in this, Syl,” Felix chuckled, swatting it away and turning to sit on the bed. “I didn’t want to wear it back then when the Professor chose me for that awful competition…”

“I think you would have looked great…” Felix’s head shot up to Sylvain, who still held the outfit in his hands. He gulped and fidgeted his hands in his lap.

“What were you going to say a while ago, Syl?” he asked his friend quietly, looking up and trembling when his eyes met the other’s. Sylvain smiled softly and took a deep breath, hanging the garment back up in the bureau and joining Felix on the bed. He once again took the younger man’s hand in his own and ran his fingers over his palm, eyes closed in thoughtful contemplation.

“I was going to say that I too have thought about that kiss nearly every day since it happened. I was confused by it for a long time—I didn’t know how you could desire… _me_ of all people… The person who threw their atrocious behavior in your face for so long, knowing how you felt about me—”

“I… honestly didn’t think you knew—” Having never loved anybody or felt the way he did a day in his life the way he loved Sylvain, Felix knew as much about romance as beasts did.

“Fe… I knew.” Sylvain shot his eyes downward, a frown furrowing his brows and lips. “I knew and I still acted like an asshole. There’s no excuse for how I treated you, and I’m… so sorry. I’m so sorry, Felix. You didn’t deserve that.”

Felix knew there was truth to his words, despite knowing both of them had been pretty lackluster in expressing how they felt. Felix was prepared for Sylvain to let him down next, telling him he still wanted to be his friend despite his unrequited feelings. He squeezed Sylvain’s hand and smiled weakly at him.

“But then… right before the war started, something changed.”

Felix froze and felt his fingers going numb against Sylvain. What changed? He jumped slightly when the other turned his body more towards him, his other hand slowly coming up to rest on Felix’s shoulder.

“I fell in love with you, Fe.”

His words barely came out above a whisper, so quiet Felix felt as though he imagined them. “I realized that every day, every span of time I spent thinking about our kiss was actually me wanting to do it again. I wanted to go back to that dark, grimy passageway and kiss you back long and hard, wanted to let you know it was okay.

“I lied to myself for a very long time, Felix. I made myself believe that I didn’t— _couldn’t_ —feel the same way about you. And fuck me; I hurt _you_ while doing that and… my stubborn ass could never tell you, because I didn’t want to disappoint you any more than I already had. Then it just became a stupid— _really fucking stupid—_ cycle of me hurting you, hurting myself, and everyone around us.”

Sylvain was tearing up, the first time Felix had seen him do so in years. He achingly clutched his best friend to his chest in an embrace, mind whirling as it tried to hold on to something concrete for stability.

“But I have loved you for… a very long time. I can’t even pinpoint exactly when it changed—maybe the day you kissed me? Maybe that day in the infirmary when I brought up our promise? I don’t know, Felix, but what I do know—” He pulled away and moved Felix’s hair out of his face, hands trembling on his friend’s arms. “Is I will continue to love you even if you can’t love me back. I can’t help it—can’t help myself. You are my world.”

Felix leaned in to Sylvain’s touch and closed his eyes, sighing in relief. Relief from what, he couldn’t specify. He didn’t know if it was from his feelings being returned despite all the years he quietly suffered. It could be the weight being lifted off his chest, the weight of the last six years since he kissed his best friend and hid how he felt starting to rise.

“Sylvain, my heart has been yours since long before that kiss,” he replied quietly, “yours and yours alone. Every time you spoke of wanting marriage proposals to stop coming your way, I ached to tell you about how I wished mine would be the one to stop them. But I was a fool, too—I could never let you know because I feared what your father—what the kingdom might say,” Felix said in embarrassment, opening his stoic eyes and staring up at the other. Before he could say anything else, Sylvain’s hands were on his cheeks, their lips meeting tenderly.

Felix had not kissed a single person since that day he kissed Sylvain in the dark passage, but he was less high strung and anxious this time around. He let the other guide him, unable to control the smile that threatened to throw off the way the redhead’s lips moved against his. Felix moved his arms up around his shoulders and pressed his chest into his best friend, climbing in between his legs and nestling there. His heart pounded so loudly against his ribcage, coursing his blood throughout his body like wildfire. He shuddered as the other’s hands softly gripped him all over, gripping him as though he had to touch him to believe he was real.

Sylvain held on to Felix as though he’d float away if he didn’t. He kissed him with the intent of never leaving his side again. His lips slid across him; his brain willing him to latch on. They’d move back along the vermillion border of his mouth, scrunching up at his cupid’s bow in the last pucker before they started it all over. The soft sounds of their mouths dancing against each other filled their ears happily, the sweetest sound they’d heard since the war ended.

“I don’t want to go back to Fraldarius without you, Syl. I don’t want to spend any more time apart—I want you with me every day.”

“You’ve got me, Fe. You always have,” he said, a playfully cocked eyebrow from Felix, “and you always will.”

**

“Are you sure I won’t look foolish?”

“Felix, you’re going to look more handsome than our king.”

The Coronation had been beautiful, the streets of Fhirdiad lined with people dressed in blue and white formal attire, watching the procession of their King on his horse through the streets. Dimitri had waved lovingly to his people, the people who supported him and had followed him through the restoration of their country after the war. He hadn’t wanted to officially take the crown until Faerghus had obtained significant peace and progress, and it had been worth the wait. Dedue stood by his side for the entire process, through sleepless nights and council meetings, all with his axe on his back should he need to protect his prince.

Felix and Sylvain had watched the ceremony from inside the cathedral in the castle, hands lovingly laced over the Duke’s leg. They felt a strong sense of pride and happiness as Byleth crowned Dimitri, knowing their work and effort had helped lead to this day. He had thanked them personally in his speech, noting the contributions from his closest friends and allies throughout rebuilding the country. As the nobility cheered and praised their king, the Duke and Margrave had shared a tender kiss amongst the hurrahs.

A short recess before the celebrations began allowed them to slip back to Sylvain’s room in the castle and unwind, their bodies pressed against one another on the large canopied bed. They had managed to avoid Sylvain’s parents after the Coronation ceremony, his brain already coming up with his announcement to them that he’d be courting Felix. It was going to be a victory after years of dreading incoming correspondence, after years of not committing himself to the love of his life.

Sylvain traced his finger along Felix’s jaw, unable to take his eyes off him. The Duke’s eyes were closed peacefully, smiling softly at the Margrave’s touch. How they’d longed for this exact scenario, simply existing beside one another in a moment of innocent intimacy. More than once, Sylvain paused his fingers and tilted Felix’s chin up so he could lovingly smooch his lips, his skin burning softly every time he felt him shift against his body.

“I want to make up for all the time I wasted not being by your side.”

“Don’t think of it as wasted time, love. We had important things to do, countries to rebuild, lives to stabilize,” Felix smiled softly, turning over on the bed to fully face Sylvain. “Besides, we have a lifetime now to be together, you know.”

“I want to build us a home right on the border of our territories. Just enough space for you and me. And the dozen children we’re going to have,” Sylvain winked, squeezing Felix tightly when his partner scoffed.

“Let me know where you plan on _getting_ them and I’ll do my best to help out,” Felix said with a gentle roll of his eyes, clutching his fingers into the lacing of Sylvain’s white undershirt.

“We’ll find a way. I want all of that with you, Fe, the kids, the quiet life away from the battlefield…”

Felix lovingly stared up at his partner and buried his face in his chest, exhaling slowly. Before the war, he never imagined he’d be pining for a life where his sword was put away so his children wouldn’t hurt themselves with it. But Sylvain had that affect on him, always reforming the shape and desires of his heart.

There was a knock at the door. “Margrave Gautier, sir, the celebrations will be commencing shortly.”

“Got it, thank you!” Sylvain called. “I almost don’t want to go,” he laughed, moving Felix’s loose hair behind his ear.

“If we don’t, we won’t get to see each other in those dancer’s outfits,” Felix replied with a sly smile, running his fingers from Sylvain’s chin down to the exposed part of his chest. He squirmed when the Margrave pulled up even closer. They stood up together and changed, hands tenderly moving across each other as they assisted in the fastening of accessories of their outfits. As Felix secured the red sash around Sylvain’s waist, his fingers attached themselves to his hip bone and stayed there, face flushing crimson.

Years of desire had taken their toll on both men. The nights spent alone in their chambers with nothing but dreams and hopes of having the other beside them usually ended in frustration and longing. Sylvain didn’t want Felix to think his touch and advances were coming on too soon, but he slowly began to realize the other was just as hungry for him as he pressed his body against him.

The Margrave leaned down near Felix’s ear and breathed out slowly, his knee sliding in between his partner’s leg and rubbing up against his groin. His honey colored eyes were half lidded with a lust-filled smile on his face, taking in Felix and swallowing the Duke whole. The younger man’s toned torso filled out the top part of his outfit beautifully, his collarbones peeking out just where Sylvain could nibble them if he wished. The collar accessory frustratingly hid the softest parts of his neck, the spots the Margrave had been kissing only minutes before.

Felix clenched his fingers achingly into the cascading fabric down Sylvain’s right hip, his breathing deepening as the other man pressed his groin into him.

“You’re ins-satiable,” he sputtered out, his other hand reaching back around to the redhead’s ass and squeezing.

“I’m not the only one, Duke Fraldarius,” Sylvain moaned into his ear, his long fingers grazing against his hardening cock in the shorts of the dancer’s outfit. Felix shuddered and looked up his nose at Sylvain, nervously letting go of the fabric in his hand and moving it to the other’s groin. The Margrave bit his lip and kissed him deeply, gently taking Felix’s wrist softly and guiding it down to touch his balls. Felix was trembling, and his quickened breath and crimson face were doing nothing for either of their composure.

Felix pulled down Sylvain’s chin to kiss him, eyebrows furrowed in pleasure as the other reciprocated the touch. He panted against his mouth as his partner rubbed him, nearly having forgotten just how good it felt to be touched there by a hand that wasn’t his own. He grabbed his hands with a whimper and kissed him again more tenderly, turning around and placing Sylvain’s hands on his hips.

“I still remember those techniques I used on the battlefield, you know,” he muttered, moving his ass over the other’s groin slowly.

“Dance for me, my Duke,” Sylvain whispered into his ear, gripping the skirt of Felix’s outfit.

Felix spread his arms out wide, elegantly extending his fingertips out as he moved his shoulder blades back against Sylvain’s chest. He slowly turned in a circle and rotated his hips to make the beading around his waist shake, guiding his hands up Sylvain’s arms and across his chest. When he completed the turn, he looked back at his partner and blushed at the expression on his face. He’d never seen Sylvain look at _anybody_ the way he was looking at him now. Felix shook as the Margrave’s next words confirmed that sentiment.

“You look so beautiful, Felix. I never want to look at anyone else the way I’m looking at you now.”

Felix smiled as he backed up into Sylvain, standing on his toes so he could position his ass over his erection. He breathed out and rolled his arms in front of his chest, shooting one more sultry look at him before dipping down. He kept his ass on him and grinded back into Sylvain’s cock, moaning quietly when he felt it through both his shorts and the skirt of the dancer’s outfit.

Sylvain grunted in appreciation and grabbed Felix’s hips, wrapping his leg around him. He reached around to the front part of the skirt on the left and hiked up the fabric so his hand could slip down into the shorts. Felix’s skin was warm at his touch, and it lit a fire in the Margrave’s body when both of his hands made contact at his hip bones. Felix’s lithe form made it possible for him to hold them and press his fingers down into his groin, massaging and rubbing the area around his erection.

“Syl—haah—goddess,” Felix breathed out, failing to straighten up and arching his back.

“Oh, my love, I’ve barely begun to touch you,” Sylvain muttered happily, sliding one hand up to grip Felix lovingly around his belly, pulling him back into his chest. He guided him back to the bed and set him down on the mattress, smirking down at him with a wink as he stood between his legs. Felix squirmed as Sylvain moved the skirt off of his front and pushed it up towards his stomach, hands gliding over the erection in his shorts.

The Margrave slid his hands up the leg holes and held the base of Felix’s cock, making his partner jump in excitement when he licked the head over the fabric. It was teasing, hungry, and just enough to make the Duke moan achingly. Sylvain traced hearts onto Felix, his other hand sliding up under his shirt and rubbing his stomach and sides. He trailed his tongue down the shaft and teased his balls, stomach tightening as Felix squirmed below him.

When he saw the shorts were wet from his attention, he smiled up at Felix and pulled them down. He wasted no time in taking his cock into his mouth, gripping Felix’s hands as he bobbed up and down it. Sylvain hummed along the shaft and stared lovingly up at his partner, his lustful desire quickly transforming into a more tender one as he looked at him.

“Still so beautiful,” he muttered softly, moving his tongue down to his balls and sucking on them gently before gliding back up to the tip of his cock. Felix threw his head back against the bed and whimpered pitifully, hips jutting up in excitement.

“I want to make love, S-Syl,” he confessed, his voice raspy from his moaning. “I’ve wanted to for so long—”

“Shhh, my heart, you needn’t say more,” Sylvain replied, leaning down over Felix’s chest to kiss him tenderly. He pulled down his own shorts, gazing at Felix achingly as he tossed them over the side of the bed. “Can I have you with this still on?”

“What is even the point of these ridiculous outfits if you’re not holding on to them while you’re fucking me?” Felix said deeply, clutching Sylvain’s top and crashing his lips up against him.

“Goddess—where did _this_ Felix come from, babe?” Sylvain asked with an anxious pounding in his chest, his cock twitching as he looked at his partner’s chest rising and falling in anticipation.

“From dreaming of this for the last six years, you fool,” the Duke replied with a hasty laugh, reaching his hand out and beginning to pump the Margrave’s erection. He slid his other hand under the skirt of the dancer’s outfit, squeezing the little bit of fat on his inner thigh. He couldn’t help but moan at his girth, precum threatening to leak out of him from the mere fantasy of it filling him up. He dropped down to take Sylvain in his mouth, heart thudding excitedly in his chest.

Felix sucked him quickly, tugging gently on his balls. His tongue circled the head slowly, eyes locked on the man above him.

“F-Felix…” Sylvain ran his fingers through his lover’s hair as he took him, head falling back lazily. He gently rocked his hips against the other’s hungry mouth, whispering his name. “This feels so _fucking good_ —don’t stop—”

Felix popped off him with a whine, turning over to lie on his back under Sylvain’s cock. He threw the skirt of his dancer’s outfit off his groin and jutted it up into the air, silently begging for his lover to resume. Sylvain huffed happily and spread his legs over Felix, smirking down at him as he moved his own skirt out of the way. They moaned against each other and trembled with each lick and suck of the other’s tongue. When Felix slid off of him sometime later with a deep grunt, Sylvain smirked and began teasing the head of his cock while he pumped the base.

“I want you to fuck me, Sylvain,” he growled lowly, digging his nails into his lover’s thighs. Sylvain breathed deeply through his nose and padded away from the bed, hurrying to his trunk. Nobody could ever say he was an unprepared man.

With a small vial of oil in his palm, he finally joined Felix on the mattress and lazily dropped it to the side while he sat on his knees between his legs.

“Have you ever…?” Sylvain asked lovingly, bending down and wrapping his arms down under Felix’s shoulders and kissing around his neck and cheeks.

“I’ve done enough on my own,” Felix huffed, blushing and looking away from Sylvain’s eyes. His lover kissed him sweetly, soft and tender against his lips.

“I don’t want to hurt you, babe,” he replied gently, kissing down his torso to his cock. He picked up the oil and poured some on his fingers and the other’s entrance, pressing long kisses and sucks from his tongue into his thighs. He relished the way Felix tried to stifle his pants and groans as he began pressing his fingers inside him, scooting up to lap his tongue up and down his erection while he squeezed his hand. “You’re doing amazing, Fe,” he whispered encouragingly, smiling at the irresistible look on his lover’s face.

Felix let his head fall back in pleasure as Sylvain spoiled him, trying his best to keep his voice down. The other’s lips and tongue so expertly attended to every spot of him he didn’t know needed attention. He jumped in excitement when his free hand moved around his body and softly pinched him alongside the kisses. When his lover’s first finger was fully inside him, he moaned deeply and looked down at him.

“A-another. I _need_ you, Syl,” he begged, clutching the sheets under him desperately. Sylvain nodded silently, maintaining eye contact with Felix as he took his cock to the back of his throat. As he hummed against it, Felix twitched and moaned into the crook of his arm. “F-fuck, yes, Sylvain, _please_ —”

Sylvain sucked Felix lovingly as he reached for the oil again and poured more over his fingers. He nearly couldn’t wait until he could put his own erection inside him, wanting to look at Felix every second he fucked him for the first time. Each time he moved, it pressed frustratingly into the sheets and made him even more needy and desperate. As he pressed in his second finger past the tight ring of flesh into Felix, Sylvain popped off his erection and panted achingly into his skin.

“I can’t wait to be inside you, my heart,” he growled against his skin, teasing his tongue lightly over him. He reached up and squeezed his pecs and nipples, spreading the fingers in his ass apart slowly to stretch him. Felix grunted and blushed into his arm, whines and noises coming out of him in varying levels of neediness. “I’ve wanted to love you for so long…”

“I’m ready, Sylvain. Please, _please_ —”

At his words of confirmation, Sylvain sat up on his knees and once again bent down to kiss Felix. He pumped his own cock and panted against his mouth, his free hand bunching up on the skirt of the dancer’s outfit. “I love you, Fe,” he smiled against the younger man, slipping his fingers down under the fabric and rubbing his thigh.

“I love you,” Felix said lowly, wrapping his fingers up in Sylvain’s hair and shoving his tongue into his mouth. He moved to his neck and nibbled his skin while his lover scooted him back towards the pillows. The Duke fell back onto them and wrapped his legs around Sylvain’s waist, looking up at him achingly with half-lidded eyes. “Fuck me.”

Sylvain took a deep breath and guided his twitching erection up to Felix’s ass, steadying himself for the pleasure he knew was coming. He hissed into a deep moan as he pressed the head inside him, legs nearly shaking and giving way as it made it past his ring of muscle. Felix tensed only for a moment around him, closing his eyes and breathing steadily as his lover entered him. When he’d made it in to his base, Felix opened them and bit down on his lip. “Fuck, Syl—you’re so big, f-fuck…”

“You f-flatter me, Duke Fraldarius,” Sylvain winked, breath hitching in his chest as he slid back out to repeat the process. He blushed as he looked down at him. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Felix. The most beautiful person in the entire world.”

Felix huffed in embarrassment and pulled Sylvain down to him via his top, fingers clutching the fabric hungrily.

“Show me how much you love me, Gautier,” he replied quickly, voice barely audible in a hushed whisper against his ear. Sylvain moaned in anticipation and hurried his thrust down into Felix’s ass, breathing out slowly into the air around them.

Sylvain took the fabric of Felix’s dancer’s skirt in both hands above his hips, gripping them roughly as he began to fuck him. His chest heaved at the sight below him, watching his lover’s every move on the sheets. Felix furrowed his brow in pleasure in such a way that Sylvain had never seen before, his legs gripped him as though it were a life or death situation. He was so _very_ tight around his cock, making every thrust down into him shoot stars into Sylvain’s vision.

Felix was a mess below him. The beads on the hem of his skirt bounced in time with Sylvain’s thrusts as his back arched up off the mattress. The Duke hid his face behind his hands as he moaned into them, heat spreading throughout his body as he was made love to. He peered between his fingers at Sylvain, who was staring directly, lovingly at him with a soft smile on the face that rivaled his hair color. He squirmed at his gaze and keened, Felix’s skin on fire as his cock filled him up. Years and years of imagining this scenario could never live up to it actually happening.

Sylvain put his hands under Felix’s ass and held him up, smiling down at him as he shifted his angle. As he pounded down into him, he longingly waited for a sign that he’d found his lover’s spot. Felix moaned pitifully at the shift, moving his legs up to hook around Sylvain’s neck. He laid back comfortably and let him do all the work, unable to think of anything he could do to make it better. Sylvain gripped his ass and picked up his rhythm, the sound of skin slapping against skin and their panting hurtling them both closer to orgasm.

“Ohhh— _fuck_ , Syl—r-right there, ahhn—haa—fuck!” Sylvain clenched his ass when he saw Felix’s eyes rolling into the back of his head, hips going wild when he knew he’d found it. He copied the thrust over and over, whispering Felix’s name as he fucked down into him. He nearly came when Felix screamed out in pleasure as slid a hand up to his cock to pump it in tandem with his thrusts.

“Fe—I’m so close,” Sylvain muttered happily, his mind going fuzzy as his chest and stomach tightened. He quickened his thrusts and trembled at the tightness of Felix’s ass, knowing he’d soon be flying to the moon as he listened to his pants and begging. “W-where should I…”

“I-inside—”

The symphony of their skin slapping against each other, beads on the outfits shaking wildly on top of their garments, and their deep, aching moaning filled the couple’s ears. Felix clutched Sylvain’s top and arched his back off the bed as he fucked him, legs already sore as they held on around his waist. Sylvain reached him on every level: physical, his cock filling him up and slamming into him repeatedly, emotional, the loving way he sputtered his name, and every other one in between. Felix tore his arm away from his face and smiled up at Sylvain as his erection erupted into the Margrave’s hand.

“Fuck, Fe—” Sylvain went wild as he too came, grunting in ecstasy as he twitched and unloaded into Felix. His hand milked the Duke’s cock, heart skipping a beat as his cum slung down to his arm and its owner’s stomach. His chest was on fire, entire body trembling. He refused to look anywhere but at the man below him, wanting to burn the memory of this into his mind for the rest of his life. Felix looked as though he had a heavenly glow around his body, lit by the love Sylvain had for him. He thrusted his cock into him a few more times, leaning down and lacing his fingers into his hair as he kissed him.

Sylvain eased out of his lover and fell tiredly onto the bed beside him, wrapping him up in his arms and kissing him through deep breaths. His longtime desire of Felix perfectly fitting against his chest once again came true, the younger man turning over and lovingly pressing his face into Sylvain’s chest. He kept his soiled hand off of him but smooched his lips affectionately, unable to control the goofy smile on his face.

“I suppose we can’t go down to the party in these outfits now,” Felix chuckled, fingering the wrinkled top on his lover where he’d gripped it.

“This was a much better use for them, anyway,” Sylvain replied, looking down and noticing the wet spot on the front of Felix’s skirt from his cum.

They took their time coming down from their ecstasy, holding each other tenderly and swapping kisses. Felix sat up on his knees behind Sylvain and combed his hair for him while the Margrave cleaned his hands with a cloth from the basin in the chamber. They helped each other change into robes they’d brought from their homes, standing in front of the mirror in the corner of the room after they’d changed.

“I want you to wear this, Sylvain,” Felix said quietly, removing the Fraldarius ring from his right hand and sliding it onto the other’s finger. “I want your father… and everyone in Faerghus to know what we are. I don’t care if they agree; it doesn’t matter to me anymore. We’ve gone too long hiding from them, from ourselves.”

Sylvain pulled Felix into his arms and kissed the top of his head, heart soaring at the gesture. “This makes me happier than you know, my love. I am honored to wear this.”

Felix straightened the lapels of Sylvain’s jacket and smiled confidently. “We should go…”

“I suppose,” Sylvain replied, taking Felix’s hand in his own. They made their way to the party, which was being held in the grand ballroom of the palace. As they bowed to Dimitri, the King’s eyes lit up in happiness. He pulled them both into an embrace.

“Thank you two for coming, my lords. And congratulations,” he smiled gently, nodding at the ring on Sylvain’s finger.

“It’s all thanks to you, boar,” Felix said, a half smile on his face as he returned the embrace. “Congratulations to you, as well.” Dedue had come up behind Dimitri and had placed a loving hand on his shoulder.

“Faerghus will be a much happier place with more love expressed freely. Enjoy the celebrations, my friends.” Dimitri smiled at them and followed Dedue away.

“Shall I have a _real_ dance, my love?” Sylvain winked at Felix, gesturing his arm out with a flourish. Felix rolled his eyes with a tender smile, taking the Margrave’s hand.

“I’ll dance for you— _only_ for you—for the rest of my life.”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on twitter i promise i'm cool >:3 @setethstiddies! I'm unsure when the next giveaway will be but I might be opening up drabble requests?? Maybe?? we'll see LOL.


End file.
